T - Remarkable. Smells are mirroed in the taste with the classic banana, clove, and sourdough bread. Just a wisp of hops. Compares very favorably with a Franziskaner Dunkelweizen although it is a short step below a Weihenstephaner Dunkelweizen.

M - Medium body and medium carbonation

D - This one surprised me. I didn't expect to get an American Dunkelweizen in an airport that compared so favorably to the brews from Munich. (572 characters)

You can easily tasted the malted wheat and yeast in this beer. The roasted malt offsets some of the banana, citrus and clove flavors, producing a sweet, rich and slightly spicy brew that is both refreshing and nuanced. Apparently the beer undergoes five to six weeks of aging which helps strengthen the flavor. Another great GB beer. (333 characters)

Bottle courtesy of dkachur - thanks! I'm just now getting around to reviewing this one, as I'm desperately looking for an excuse to stop studying for the bar. A dunkelweizen is as good an excuse as any!

Appearance: Pours as you would imagine - looks like, well, a dark, unfiltered wheat beer. It's sort of a hazy dull brown, and not quite as opaque around the periphery, where it shines a muted sepia. The lightly tanned two-fingers of rocky head fade quickly at first and then even out, maintaining a formidable one-finger height for a while, a foamy, soapy, sticky mass. Fast, zippy carbonation is visible at the very edges of the glass - anything deeper is obscured. The lacing itself spotty, speckly, dotty. This really is an attractive beer - if the lacing and head retention were a little nicer, it'd be near perfect.

Taste: About what you were expecting from the nose, though perhaps a little bit thinner and a little more "unripe" in the banana notes (which is probably just me detecting lighter, fruitier esters). Very bready and moderately roasted malts - lending it a very sweet though not syrupy or sticky backbone - accompany the aforementioned slightly underripe banana notes, a few a faint green nutty notes, and a handful of other sharper, more citrus-esque fruit notes. All in all it's a little less vibrant and varied than the nose - seems a little "thinner," too - but it's good.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and full of light, average-sized effervescence in a body of moderate thickness that's still somehow reasonably even. About what you want from this style, though it is perhaps a little thin.

Drinkability: My first Gordon Biersch, and a surprisingly pleasant beer. First off, good for them for taking a stab at a style many don't. Secondly, kudos to them for getting it right. This has all the characteristics of a straightforward, drinkable drunkelweiss, from the bananas and cloves all the way down to the roasted but soft malty foundation. And at 5.4%, you can afford to drink it while studying for the Virginia bar exam. (2,272 characters)

My Eisenbahn Weizenbock glass wasn't cleaned properly, so I will use my Widmer Hefeweizen glass to hold this beer. On to the beer:

Brown with hues of orange, a mysterious cloudy haze that's candy to my eyes, and a creamy white head on top. The aroma tries to match the beauty of the appearance with cloves, cinnamon apples, and a touch of banana with good intensity. I predict good things up ahead.

I don't know what it is, but this dunkelweiss is a winner! Sweet, juicy apples quickly jump to my mind. Apple strudel comes next, and I think I can taste the flakiness of that bakery pastry. A little spicy with some mixed fruits notes as each sip nears completion. Phenolic overall. Medium carbonation, but with a gentle feel.

Gordon Biersch knows how to make those German wheat ales. Their Hefeweizen is damn good, and their Dunkelweizen might even be better. A hell of a good beer....did someone say breakfast in a bottle? (927 characters)

This one is poured from a 12 oz bottle dated 3/11. It's bottle conditioned as should be with this style. Displays a muddy, light brown color with requisite wheat haze and a big fluffy head. The head has great retention and takes on a rocky appearance as several minutes pass.

Really nice, full weissbeer aroma with banana, clove, and a delicate spiciness. The banana and clove carry over in the flavor. This beer also has that subtle tart, tangy character that the best german wheat beers possess. The esters are toned down a bit more than a regular hefe would be, as the darker malts lend a light richness and temper the estery character a bit. This beer has a light body and great frothy carbonation level that accentuates the spiciness and makes it very quenching.

This is one beautiful dunkelweizen! The best I've had outside Germany and a must-have for any afficiando of this style. (940 characters)

I have read the reviews on this beer and when in Harris Teeter today I grabbed it.Poured into my Brooklyn-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse glass a deeper russet color with a great blooming off white head that stuck like glue to the glass.Milder aromas,a mix of green apple,banana,and clove mainly,a bit of iron as well.Light but flavorful wich really is true to the style,lemony with light phenolic spice.a trace brown sugar and chocolate to compliment the fruity and spiced components.This pretty delicate compared to many American versions of the style wich is a good thing,very well done.

On tap at Mr.Dunderbak's in Tampa. In a weizen glass the beer was a hazy brown color with a thin white head that still left a little bit of lacing. The beer had a sweet malt aroma, with a little spice. Nice sweet malt taste, some citrus, and a little clove. Comfortable, easy drinking. Enjoyed it. (297 characters)

Since the location where I had this is not listed yet but it has to be brewed at one of the brewing locations so I'll go with this one. It's a pretty thick tan amber with a modest white head and similar lacing. The aroma is clove and light banana and some sweet malt. The flavor is firm clove wheat, bread and subtle citrus. It's a well carbonated brew with a good feel that goes down easy. A very solid, refreshing brew. (421 characters)

Appearance: Pours a cloudy rust color with a magnificent creamy head; great retention and strands of lace

Smell: Green bananas, unsweetened apple sauce and cloves

Taste: Green bananas and cloves up front, with bubblegum and unsweetened apple sauce arriving to add complexity and balance; by mid-palate, a lemony tartness notches up the flavor profile and after, the swallow, all of the flavors come together in a well-balanced fashion

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body and creamy, with prickly carbonation

Drinkability: I have had mixed experiences with Gordon Biersch beers, but this one is a top notch example of the style (625 characters)

The aroma has bananas, bubble gum, cloves, and wheat. The appearance hazy amber with a very large head. The flavor is like the aroma. The palate is thin. Overall a nicely done Dunkelweizen. I would gladly drink another one by itself or with food. It's worth a try. (264 characters)

A - Dark brown, murky, completely opaque. Two fingers of light brown head rise with good retention. No lacing.

S - Phenomenol aroma. Huge banana aromas with a nice dark bread in the background. Vanilla creeps in and out along with a touch of sourness. Well rounded and complex.

T - Light sweetness with lots of bananas, perhaps a bit on the overripe side. Breadiness comes on full force mid palate with remnants of fruit. Slight sourness and moderate phenolic character dominate late palate. Medicinal notes with mild bitterness in the finish with banana still bouncing around.

M - On the full side of medium bodied with a moderate to high carbonation. Couldn't ask for much more except perhaps a smidge less carbonation.

D - Dunkelweizens can make great drinking beers, and this brew is no exception. Perhaps the best dunkelweizen I've had, Gordon Biersch has managed to retain some sweetness as well as highlight the sourness and phenols present in hefeweizens. Certainly one of the best dunkels out there for anyone interested. (1,081 characters)

On-tap at the brewpub. I wasn't blown away by the other GB beers I tried, but this was a pretty solid option. It seemed to take inspiration from weizenbocks, with occasional dark fruit notes. Otherwise there a big sweet banana (like when a banana has black spots) taste along with a bit of cocoa, rum, and raisins. I'd order this again. (336 characters)

Poured into a tall pilsener style glass. Beer has a nice 3 finger head that holds pretty weel. Beer is dark brownish-orange in color. Ample carbonation continues to feed the head, looks delicious. Strong banana smell is tempered by a sweet malty nose along with some spices . . can't wait to drink it! Taste does not disappoint. Extremely smooth beer with hints of banana, clove, toffee and some fruit. Nothing overpowering in the taste but an amazingly well balanced and complex brew at the same time. Could drink quite a few of these and will continue to order them when I visit the restaurant. (596 characters)

Thanks to Josh @ Beer Run in Charlottesville for allowing me to try this one.

A: This was one of the nicer dunkels I have poured. It came from the bottle looking beautifully unfiltered and brown... and ends up in the glass pretty much the same way. Head doesn't stick around horribly long, but it does leave some nice lacing and it has a creamy little skim over the top of the brew.

S: Fresh cloves and a fairly big bubblegum aroma upon giving it a swirl. A nice fruitiness adds some character.

T: Not incredibly rich in flavour, but quite tasty nonetheless. The banana and clove flavours are most certainly there, with a little spot of bubblegum that carries on into the finish.

M + D: Well carbonated... crisp, but with a little bit of chewiness at the same time. This is my first GB offering, and it has made a very good first impression. Quite a good beer. (868 characters)

I've never been a huge fan of the Gordon Biesch brews, but here is one notable exception. Lovely, deep tan colored brew, with plenty of light tan foam. Clove and slightly fruity notes greeted my nose as I opened the bottle. The taste was a fresh mix of a slightly roasted, bready malt, like a light pumpernickle bread, a yeasty clove zip, and a little fruity, slightly banana note. Mouthfeel a little tingly, but otherwise good, and a nice, smooth, enjoyable brew. (464 characters)

Enjoyed on-tap at the Miami brewpub. A hefeweizen with lots more chocolate malt, nothing wrong with that. An above average mouthfeel with bananna consistency and taste. A good dunkel, good looking with lots of lace. Milkshake, though taste is on the sweet side and no complexity. (279 characters)

Consumed 02/11/09. Served at approx. 38 degrees F in a weizen glass. Bottled on 01/07/09.

Beer pours a cloudy, almost murky orange-medium brown. A two finger light tan head dwindled fast to a fairly sticky layer of lace. Very well carbonated in the glass, with lots of very small bubbled slowly streaming up the sides.

Aroma is fairly thick and heavy, with bananas and subtle clove being the main ingredients. A carmelized sugar note as well as some vanilla. Honeysuckle. Reminds me of banana pudding with vanilla wafers. Yum!

Beer is thick and just short of chewy. Carbonation evident in glass doesn't seem to play a role in the mouth.

Flavor is less appetizing than aroma but still just fine. Banana and vanilla are more subtle on the palate than in the nostrils. Clove is more pronounced. Slight metallic wheat tang and a touch of citric tartness. Very clean finish with nearly no aftertaste. A real refresher.

This is a perfect hot afternoon beer, or as a warmup for a drinking session. Don't think I could do more than one of these, though. (1,050 characters)

Appearance: The pour is cloudy brunt orange in color with a frothy off-white head.

Smell: The nose is dominated by unripened banana. Aromas of wheat and clove are also noticeable.

Taste: The flavor profile starts out with soft wheat and an mild herbal and clove component. Lemon zest, caramel and notes of banana join the mix in the mid-palate. The finish is where this beer really brings it. Banana, fresh-squeezed lemon and clove, explode and linger well in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: It's on the lighter end of medium-bodied with soft carbonation.

Drinkability: This is a really good effort. Great traditional approach to the style. (640 characters)

My wife and I purchased a 6-pack from BevMo and was absolutely satisfied with the taste of this beer. From the minute you pour it into the glass you can see it is a nice wheat brown look with a great Hefeweizen smell to it.

When taking the 1st drink I knew that this was now my favorite beer. I was eating mexican food and the taste combined with the enchiladas was magnificent. The beer was a perfect match for the spicy taste. I finished the beer in about 4 gulps and wanted another 1 right away. All I can say is this a must beer for anyone. The smoothness that Gordon Biersch has perfected will be a delight for any beer drinker. Go ahead and give it a try. (663 characters)

Poured a deep brown with a fair amount of foam and loads of lace. The smell of wheat, roasted malts and yeast filled the nose. The taste was of a thick sweetness with a hint of bitterness to balance this smooth tasting dunkelweizen. One of the best U.S. Dunkelweizen that I've tasted in a long time! (299 characters)